JOHN RYDER will complete a remarkable journey from working as a bouncer to challenging for Canelo Alvarez's world titles.
Ryder fights for boxing's biggest crown on Saturday night in Guadalajara, in what marks Canelo's Mexican homecoming.
The British outsider fights for the undisputed WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles in front of 50,000 at the Estadio Akron stadium.
It comes after a career resurgence – with eight wins in his last nine – earning a mandatory shot at Canelo's title.
But at one point, following defeats to Jack Arnfield and Rocky Fielding at domestic level, Londoner Ryder considered his boxing career.
So much so that in 2017 he got a doorman’s license and worked at a nightclub in East London.
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Ryder, 34, told ESPN: "There were some dark times when I thought that this might be it.
"I think I had that dogged determination in me to carry on, and I believe I can do good things in this sport.
"I think the proof is in the pudding, I have done, and I was right to continue.
"My sponsor sorted me out a doorman's licence and I was doing quite a bit of that on the doors with a few friends.
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"That was nice, and it was more the social aspect of it. Boxing is so closed off; you work so hard in the gym, so to work on the door every now and again was quite a nice break.
"It was long hours, not ideal for boxing, but the odd Friday night here and there was good fun."
The club was around the corner from ex-middleweight champion Darren Barker's 12×3 gym.
So Ryder would train before heading to his shift but fortunately ran into no trouble during his time on the doors.
He said: "There were no hotheads – they were all cool, calm and collected.
"You had your talkers on the door who could calm down situations. I was never at the forefront getting stuck in. I just kept the peace."
By 2019, Ryder was boxing full-time and made his Las Vegas debut, stopping Bilal Akkawy in three rounds.
Boxing is so closed off; you work so hard in the gym, so to work on the door every now and again was quite a nice break.
The same year, he lost a controversial decision to Callum Smith for the WBC title, in a bout many believed he won.
Ryder, who is a 10-1 shot to win on Saturday, recalled: "2019 was a great year for me; I got to box in Vegas then I had the Smith fight.
"People see it as a bad thing [losing by a disputed decision to Smith], but I got a lot of credit from it. I still think I should have won.
"I had a lot of momentum, and momentum is what I thrive on. I was all set for a big 2020, looking to get off to a flier, and then COVID hit.
"There were big fights planned for 2021. It was a nightmare two years."
Ryder bounced back from defeat to Smith with four wins in a row, most recently beating Zach Parker, 28, in November.
It earned him the WBO interim title and guaranteed shot at Canelo's unified belts.
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Ryder becomes the first man to fight Canelo in Mexico in 12 years and has the chance to shock the world.
He said: "It feels like a coming-out party after 12 years in the game."
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